A DRINK RECIPE FOR @mnickwrites - THE BARBARY COAST

Thank you, @mnickwrites

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A little background: this drink is a Prohibition drink dating circa 1927 in a cocktail book entitled: "Here's How To".

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Starting back in the days of the Gold Rush, San Francisco's "Barbary Coast" was a red-light district known for it's jazz clubs, prostitutions, and various seedy houses of: "ill-repute" thought the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Since this drink came from that Prohibition era, it was likely one had to buy this drink in a joint like that.

Pacific Avenue in the city, for you locals.

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Here's the recipe:

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2 oz. of Scotch whiskey. Stick with a single-malt, Speyside, if you please.

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1 oz. of gin. You want a London dry gin. I would recommend Ford's or Boodle's. No herby-stuff

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1 oz. of creme de cacao.

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1 oz. of cream.

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Now, you're probably asking: "Whoa, whoa, whoa...hold the damn phone. Who are you trying to kid, Michaelsen? Scotch AND gin AND cream? You're out of your mind!"

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Alright. These arguments would completely fair. You have to figure that Scotch is smokey and peaty enough. The chocolate flavor of the creme de cacao mixed with the gin and cream would actually work. Scotch? Hunh?

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As a whole, you would be surprised: this is a very solid drink. Think of it like a "White Russian", but with a quiet, subtle smoke flavor that mixes with the chocolate.

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However, I've come up with a slight variation. If you try to substitute the Scotch with either mescal or rye whiskey, you get either a stronger (mescal) or lighter (rye) smoke flavor.

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A hint: use blanco mescal. Try Knob Creek for your rye whiskey.

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I have to admit that milk products in my drinks do not set my taste buds on fire, but I've had this drink once at Charlie's Steakhouse in San Francisco (not the actual Barbary Coast), and the person behind the bar definitely knew what they were doing.